Engineers Australia is highlighting the need to support young people entering the engineering profession, citing workforce demand and concerns about early-career opportunities.
Marking International Youth Day, Engineers Australia Chief Engineer Katherine Richards AM CSC said engineering could provide young people with a pathway to contribute to issues including climate change, artificial intelligence and community resilience.
“Young people are highly motivated to address matters that impact them, whether that’s climate change, artificial intelligence or building more resilient communities,” Richards said.
“Our responsibility is to ensure they understand that engineering is a profession that empowers them to develop the technologies, infrastructure and solutions needed to address these challenges.”
Engineers Australia said more than 150,000 engineers are expected to be required in Australia over the next decade, making the development of a skilled pipeline of engineers an ongoing priority.
The organisation also pointed to a recent industry poll in which 65 per cent of young professionals surveyed identified finding early-career opportunities as the most significant issue facing young engineers.
The poll found that 17 per cent identified a lack of mentoring support as their biggest challenge, while nine per cent cited changing skills requirements and seven per cent pointed to building workplace confidence.
“At a time when Australia needs more engineers than ever, we cannot afford to lose talented young professionals because they lack pathways into the workforce or don’t have mentors to support them,” Richards said.
She said providing opportunities to gain experience, develop skills and build confidence would be important as young engineers enter the profession.
“The early stages of a career can be challenging, but young engineers should remain confident in their skills because Australia will need their talent, creativity and contributions in the years ahead,” Richards said.
